NumberSpiral.com Makes Math Look Pretty

NumberSpiral.com is a one-trick-pony website. That's OK. This is one fascinating trick. Assembled by Robert Sacks, NumberSpiral.com visually demonstrates the amazing and unexpected relationships between plotted numbers. "Number spirals are very simple. To make one, we just write the...

NumberSpiral.com is a one-trick-pony website. That's OK. This is one fascinating trick. Assembled by Robert Sacks, NumberSpiral.com visually demonstrates the amazing and unexpected relationships between plotted numbers.

"Number spirals are very simple. To make one, we just write the non-negative integers on a ribbon and roll it up with zero at the center.

The trick is to arrange the spiral so all the perfect squares (1, 4, 9, 16, etc.) line up in a row on the right side:"

What looks simple at this stage becomes eerily artistic as the math gets progressively more complex. Here's an example with quadratic equations.

The plots are all produced using Vortex, freeware for Windows. That means you'll get a chance to run your own equations and see what their spirals look like. I wish I could say I understood all the math--I didn't. However, I really liked the plots